I'm a 55-year-old female, married for 35 years this June. I have two adult sons. One is divorced with two daughters, turning 10 and 8 this summer. The other is single and going back to school to get another degree. I started putting on weight big time in '98 when my mother-in-law passed away. I've lost both in-laws and both parents since then. I was very close to them. I was diagnosed with diabetes 2 in '99. I'm retired and have a lot of time on my hands to snack and watch TV. The only ...

I'm a 55-year-old female, married for 35 years this June. I have two adult sons. One is divorced with two daughters, turning 10 and 8 this summer. The other is single and going back to school to get another degree. I started putting on weight big time in '98 when my mother-in-law passed away. I've lost both in-laws and both parents since then. I was very close to them. I was diagnosed with diabetes 2 in '99. I'm retired and have a lot of time on my hands to snack and watch TV. The only exercise I do with any consistency is walk. My stress level tends to be high and I have problems sleeping, even with taking OTC sleep aids. I'm on 8 different medications for diabetes, cholesterol, reflux, anxiety, and bone loss. I'm pretty much a mess and I'm tired of feeling this way.

My Goals:
My goals are to exercise for 30 minutes every day, drink 10 glasses of water a day, and eat six little meals a day. I will also try to walk 10,000 steps a day. I hope to lose an average of 10 lbs. a month.

My Program:
I wear a heart rate/calorie counting watch and a step counter daily to see what I'm doing. I try to only weigh once a week. I also follow Jillian Michaels web site for info and read Prevention Magazine for extra tips. I try to work in exercise any way I can, like dancing while doing housework, doing knee bends while standing at the sink or stove, etc.

Hi Diane!!! to the Race to 140!! I'm super excited to have you on the team!! (And I LOVE Jillian! I'm currently on day 10 of her 30DS!) I'm here for you if you ever need anything at all! Hope you have a sPaRkLiNg week!

We are in this together- I have been fighting that same number on the scale for a while but it is going down this weekend- You can win at this too. Attack it! You rule food- it does NOT rule you.

The foods we love will still exist when we are smaller and healthier-maybe we can't indulge like we used to but there are LOTS of compensations- feeling good, playing with kids, helping others and hey, they are making better sugar-free stuff daily.

We even found some zero calorie barbeque sauces by Walden Farms in the grocery store- not too shabby. I like their zero calorie thousand island dressing, too.

I saw that you were a Floridian, so I had to stop by and say hello & welcome!

I grew up in Central (Merritt Island) and South (Delray Beach) Florida and have been living in Ohio with my husband and three kids for the last 20+ years. But I truly miss the warm weather and beaches!

Best of luck to you as you start your journey. Spark People is such a great resource -- you'll find all the motivation and inspiration you need to be successful.